1-5-2012 Solana Beach Sun

Page 1

Volume XVI, Issue 2

www.solanabeachsun.com

Jan. 5, 2012 Published Weekly

Polo Club lease expires in March

2012 Penguin Plunge

Various groups keep close watch as city starts search for tenant ■ Former North County tourism bureau chief thriving at Cox. Page 3 Hearty local residents braved the cool Pacific to celebrate the first day of 2012 at the popular annual Penguin Plunge in Del Mar. See more inside. (above) Alexandra Blasina, Pamela Whalen Photo/Jon Clark

Roberts, Hilliard declare candidacy for supervisor seat

■ Local golfer’s numerous title wins elevate her to an elite class. Page 4

■ TPHS graduate focused on London Olympics. Page 12

BY JOE TASH The contest for the seat of retiring 3rd District County Supervisor Pam SlaterPrice is about to become a three-way affair, as two coastal North County city councilmen confirmed this week they plan to run.

Dave Roberts of Solana Beach and Carl Hilliard of Del Mar said they plan to run for the seat of Slater-Price, who is retiring from the Board of Supervisors this year after serving for 20 years in the position. The two will challenge Steve Danon, who announced

his own bid for the seat in 2009. So far, no other candidates have come forward, but the official nomination period runs from Feb. 13 through March 9. Hilliard, 76, is a regisSee SEAT, page 9

BY JOE TASH As the city of San Diego moves forward with a plan to take bids for a long-term lease on an 80-acre parcel of land next to the San Dieguito River, environmentalists, polo players, youth soccer supporters and neighbors are watching closely. Over the next few months, the city will issue a request for proposals for a lease on the property at Via De La Valle and El Camino Real, which has been the home of the San Diego Polo Club since 1986. The club’s original 26-year lease is set to expire in March. “We’re going through the process of seeking renters for that property. And we’re going to evaluate all the bids that come in from the standpoint of what’s best for the city in terms of economically, (and) the way

it would fit into the community. We are looking to have a tenant in there that uses that facility in some way related to recreation,” said Alex Roth, a spokesman for Mayor Jerry Sanders. Roth declined to comment further on the specific requirements that will be included in the request for proposals, which he said is still being drafted. But he promised an open process and invited anyone with suggestions or concerns about the request for proposals, or the lease, to send a letter to the city. “There is going to be lots and lots of opportunity for public input on this,” Roth said. The city obtained the land in the early 1980s as part of a deal for develop-

SEE LEASE, PAGE 6

Former mayor discusses city accomplishments, goals and issues In December, Lesa Heebner completed her second one-year term as mayor of Solana Beach. Heebner, who has served on the Solana Beach City Council since 2004, is one of five members of the council, who rotate through the mayor’s post each year. (Joe Kellejian will serve as mayor for 2012, his fifth time in the position.) Recently, the Solana Beach Sun sat down with Heebner to discuss the issues facing the city in the coming year and accomplishments of the past 12 months. The interview is presented in a Q&A format, and has been edited for brevity. Heebner is a graduate of UC San Diego, who worked as a stockbroker before starting her own business organizing and designing

kitchens to maximize their funcissues for the city? tionality for healthy cooking and A. I think the most important eating. She also ran a culinary is the (Coast Highway) 101 renovaschool, has written cookbooks, and tion that’s coming up. We’ve sent served as food editor and out the plans for bid, we aucommentator for local print thorized that a couple of and broadcast media. meetings ago. And we The interview touched should be breaking ground on such subjects as planned on that some time in the improvements to the Coast spring. Highway 101 corridor, develQ. Can you give a opment of property around thumbnail sketch of what the Solana Beach train stathat project is? tion, and a recent decision to A. It’s from bridge to require City Council review bridge, so from the Cliff Lesa Heebner Street bridge to the Dahlia of any home addition or remodeling project that adds Street bridge, that’s the loca500 or more square feet to the tion of this renovation. And it’s gobuilding. — Reported by Joe Tash. ing to be widening the sidewalks to encourage more pedestrian activity Q. For 2012, what are the key and perhaps some sidewalk cafes.

There’s going to be street trees throughout along the sidewalks. We’re doing angled parking. In the design are 11 places, they’re sort of meeting places, they each have a very subtle theme to them, all associated with the healthy lifestyle, healthy outdoor lifestyle, that Solana Beach represents to so many people. And one of them, for instance, is based on the constellations… it was my idea. The (constellations visible on the) exact day on July 1, 1986, when Solana Beach became a city. One other place is going to have a water feature, it’s sort of a learning spot, where you can see the different depths of the water and what sea life lives at each

SEE CITY, PAGE 11

JOHN R. LEFFERDINK

619-813-8222

www.johnlefferdink.com

ANGELA MEAKINS-BERGMAN

LISA KELLEY

CONNIE SUNDSTROM

VERONICA MOORE

858-405-9270

858-880-5242

858-334-8114

619-250-5076


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